Letters to a Third Year Student from the Class of 2021 School of Medicine Letters to a Third-Year Student
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LETTERS TO A THIRD YEAR STUDENT FROM THE CLASS OF 2021 SCHOOL OF MEDICINE LETTERS TO A THIRD-YEAR STUDENT FROM THE CLASS OF 2021 SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Founding Editor: THERESE JONES, PHD DIRECTOR, ARTS AND HUMANITIES IN HEALTHCARE PROGRAM Managing Editor: ANJALI DHURANDHAR, MD ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ARTS AND HUMANITIES IN HEALTHCARE PROGRAM COVER ART: ANJALI DHURANDHAR, MD COVER ART PHOTOGRAPHER: MAX OSBORNE 720-338-3284 FRONT COVER LAYOUT AND DESIGN: HALI JENKINS BACK COVER DESIGN: ANJALI DHURANDHAR, MD GRAPHIC DESIGN AND LAYOUT: ANJALI DHURANDHAR, MD APRIL 20, 2021 LETTERS COLLECTED FROM HIDDEN CURRICULUM, FOUNDATIONS OF DOCTORING, THE STUDENT ADVISORS FOR THE ADVISORY COLLEGES, THE GOLD HUMANISM HONOR SOCIETY and THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES IN HEALTHCARE PROGRAM This publication was made possible by the generous support of the Undergraduate Medical Education Office in the School of Medicine, Arts and Humanities in Healthcare Program Center for Bioethics and Humanities University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD AMIRA DEL PINO-JONES MD ........................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION THERESE JONES, PHD ....................................................................................................... 2 FROM THE GOLD HUMANIISM HONOR SOCIETY BRENNA CAMERON, GAVRIEL RODA, YAA ASARE, AMELIA DAVIS ............................... 3 LETTERS TO A THIRD-YEAR STUDENT NICHOLAS BIANCHINA ................................................................................................... 6 CARLEY LITTLE .................................................................................................................. 8 SANJU GARIMELLA ........................................................................................................... 9 ANDREW TANNOUS ...................................................................................................... 11 KAITLYN BRUNWORTH ................................................................................................. 12 LAURA MCWHIRTER ...................................................................................................... 13 ABIGAIL BRYANT ........................................................................................................... 15 BRENNA CAMERON ....................................................................................................... 16 DAREAN HUNT .............................................................................................................. 17 NATHNA CLARK ............................................................................................................. 18 AMELIA DAVIS ................................................................................................................ 19 SAMUEL DUNHAM ........................................................................................................ 21 JOE FUCHS ..................................................................................................................... 22 KASEY PICKARD ............................................................................................................. 23 KIRA GRUSH ................................................................................................................... 24 MATT MINTURN ............................................................................................................ 26 GABRIEL YEPES ............................................................................................................... 27 MICHAEL KLAUSNER ...................................................................................................... 28 ERIN STURMAN .............................................................................................................. 30 CONNOR FLING ............................................................................................................ 31 ANONYMOUS ................................................................................................................ 32 MEGAN BROWN ............................................................................................................ 33 MATTHEW MASUR ......................................................................................................... 35 ANDREW PHAM ............................................................................................................. 36 MEGAN KUNKEL ............................................................................................................ 38 RICHARD SMITH ............................................................................................................ 39 SARA DELENN GRAVES .................................................................................................. 40 AMANDA THOMPKINS .................................................................................................. 41 STEFAN PETERSON ......................................................................................................... 43 DYLAN RAKOWSKI ........................................................................................................ 44 ELIA RIEDER .................................................................................................................... 46 AFTERWORD ANJALI DHURANDHAR, MD ......................................................................................... 49 FOREWORD I’ve spent the last several weeks looking for the perfect inspirational quotes and excerpts from famous novels to include in this introduction. I’ve considered reflecting on 2020 and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic but hesitate to include the word “unprecedented” in yet another piece of writing (which I just did…sorry), or handing down the top 10 tips I received from other students and physicians as I made my transition from the 2nd to 3rd year of medical school. I think I want to provide the perfect words of wisdom because writing the forward to Letters to a Third Year Student is such an honor and I don’t want to disappoint. It marks your exciting transition from “medical student” to “student doctor”, and I can assure you that many of the patients you will see will call you “doctor” which at times can feel overwhelming and fraudulent. However, this will be the essence of many of the transitions you will make over time, including student to resident and resident to attending, and it is helpful to embrace those transitions with the same excitement, grace, optimism, and thoughtfulness that I know you all have. You have worked hard and sacrificed in so many different ways. Remember that you deserve to be here and you’re more than ready to continue on this beautiful journey. Needless to say, I still haven’t found the perfect quote or excerpt. I also suspect that many of your fellow medical students and faculty will include very helpful tips and advice for success as a 3rd year in this publication. However, this process and has given me time to reflect on some of my most memorable experiences as a 3rd year medical student, two of which I’d like to briefly share with you. My first patient on Internal Medicine was a young gentleman with advanced AIDS who was hospitalized with P. Jirovecii Pneumonia (PJP). It was the first time I saw PJP and Kaposi’s Sarcoma, and the first time I played cards with a patient (he won by the way). I always felt like I didn’t have enough medical knowledge to be of help, but he was always so excited to see me in the mornings, and I him, and he often gave me encouragement about the path that lay ahead for me in medicine. On OB/Gyn, I stood by my patient’s husband’s side when she developed hemorrhagic shock following a procedure, which later resulted in her having a hysterectomy and a lengthy stay in the surgical ICU. I will never forget the look of fear, sadness, and love in her husband’s eyes, as well as the look of hope and gratitude as she slowly recovered. I envisioned that this is the type of commitment, love, and connection we all seek in our relationships. I feel a little selfish telling these stories as I believe these patients gave me more than I thought I was able to give them at the time. However, I am hopeful that I positively impacted their journeys just as they impacted mine. All of our stories are intertwined. We have the distinct privilege of being a part of our patients’ lives and them a part of ours. Sometimes it is on their best days, and other times it is on their worst day. It is up to you to decide how you will be remembered in their story. As a 3rd year medical student, you have the ability to have a profound effect on your patients, their families, your teams, and your colleagues. Whether you know how to treat PJP, or can promptly recite the differential for shock, to hold someone’s hand, to listen, and to truly be present is going to be more impactful and long-lasting than you will ever imagine. Amira del Pino-Jones, MD Associate Professor of Medicine Division of Hospital Medicine Assistant Dean for Student Affairs University of Colorado School of Medicine 1 INTRODUCTION From 1903 to 1908, Czechoslovakian poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, wrote a series of letters to a young, would-be writer about surviving as a sensitive observer in a harsh world. Rilke wrote about taking risks not only to succeed but also to fail: “Always trust yourself and your own feeling; it if turns out that you were wrong, then the natural growth of your inner life will eventually guide you to other insights." He wrote about being impatient